1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an attachment to a boat that allows the oars of the boat to be supported and held stationary in a fixed position.
2. Background Art
There is no simple and efficient device that allows the rower of a boat to maintain the oars in a stationary and at rest position. This position maintains the oars flat upon the water so that they will act as pontoons on the surface of the water. Such a device would be of assistance to the rower in entering or exiting a boat, and also for freeing the hands of the rower for other tasks while the rower is in the boat.
Small boats, and in particular, single sculling boats are very narrow in beam. Consequently, they can capsize very easily. Both oars must be properly held by the rower at all times to prevent the boat from capsizing. If the boat does capsize, it can be very difficult for the rower to reenter the boat.
Standard instructional methods for entering and exiting a sculling boat can be found in references such as The Complete Recreational Rower and Racer by S. Kiesling, 1990, Crown Publishers Inc., New York, N.Y. The method of boarding a sculling boat from a dock or in the water away from the dock is essentially the same. With respect to the oars, the oars must be in the oarlocks. A gate or keeper can be provided on the top of the oarlock to keep the oar in place. A button or collar, which is a ring around the sleeve of each oar, butts up against the inboard side of the oarlock. Both oar blades should be turned flat against the water or dock for maximum stability. The flat blades of the oars will act like pontoons on the surface of the water. The end of each oar is brought together so that the rower can grasp them with one hand. The other hand is used for balance as the rower steps into the boat. The function of holding the oars together can be accomplished by my invention, which eases the boarding of a boat, particularly by an inexperienced rower.
Similarly, exiting the sculling boat requires that the oars be held together with one hand. As stated above, the function of holding the oars together can be accomplished by my invention, which eases the exiting of a boat, particularly by an inexperienced rower.
For a boat that has capsized, the first task is to right it by reaching over the hull and grabbing the far rigger or gunwale. Once again, the oars must be arranged with the tips held together in one hand, while the rower swings his body back into the boat. With my invention, after the rower rights the boat, he or she can place the oars into the oar straps of my invention and have them held with the tips of the oars together and the oar blades flat against the water. This ensures that the oars are held in the proper position for reentering the boat, which allows the rower to focus on swinging his or her body back into the boat while grasping the oars.
While floating in the boat, the rower may insert the oars into the oar holding straps of my invention and perform other tasks, such as adjusting the footstretcher or reaching into the boat, without having to worry about maintaining the oars in the proper orientation.
The prior art discloses no device similar to my invention for holding the oars in a stationary and at rest position. Schaper in U.S. Pat. No. 2,655,669 discloses a device for strapping the rower's wrists to the oars in a manner that allows some control of the oars while the hands are free to perform other tasks. It is obvious from the disclosure that hand movements would be limited due to the direct connection of the hands to the oars. Also, the device does not address holding the oars fixed in a stationary and at rest position. Kaiser in U.S. Pat. No. 2,0333,637 discloses a complex device, complete with seat and footstretcher, that allows forward rowing and conversion from rowing to paddling. While the device can hold the oars in a horizontal position, as soon as the rower applies his weight to the oars, the oars drop into the water.
To address the limitations identified above, I took an approach that is considerably different from any in the prior art. In my invention, a simple and efficient device, is used to lock the oars in a stationary and at rest position. My invention provides a simple means of height adjustment so that the oars can be held in the proper stationary and at rest position for various types and designs of boats when used by rowers of varying sizes, weights and skill levels. Pivoting points at the bottom and top of the riser rod of my invention, and at the fasteners of the oar straps, allow for further adaptation to various types and design of boats when used by various rowers. It can be lowered away when not in use by pivoting the riser rod on the pivot point at the bottom of the riser rod. While I have specifically addressed the single sculling boat, my invention can be modified for applicability to other boats with oars.